Newcastle United have conducted brilliant business in the transfer market in recent times after being given funds to invest a large sum in the playing squad after the takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The investment from the board has allowed the club to recruit players such as Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman, with the trio drastically improving boss Eddie Howe's squad.
Their impact saw the club finish within the Premier League's top four last season, subsequently allowing them to compete in the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years.
PIF's takeover of the Magpies also allowed for one-time crucial first-team players to leave the club, with the board doing great business in allowing Chris Wood and Jonjo Shelvey to leave St James' Park in January 2023.
The club received nearly £20m for the duo, with the Magpies shifting £160k-per-week off the wage bill, allowing for more wriggle room in future transfer windows.
Despite their successes in outgoings in recent times, the club may have allowed one player to leave St James' too soon with the former Magpie in excellent goalscoring form this campaign.
Joselu's stats at Newcastle United
In what were a tricky few years for the Magpies, the club had to rely on cheap additions, with Joselu joining for £5m from Stoke City in the summer of 2017.
He would only last two seasons at St James' Park, with the Spaniard scoring four goals in 32 games across all competitions, with the former Frankfurt forward featuring for 1,695 minutes during the 2017/18 campaign.
However, he would fall down the pecking order during his second and final season on Tyneside, with Joselu only making 20 appearances throughout the campaign, but still managing to contribute with three goals.
His lack of appearances also saw his game time decrease by 42.9% from the previous campaign, ultimately leading to his departure from the club after a rough time of it under Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard departed Newcastle in 2019 to return to his homeland, joining Alaves for a deal in the region of £2m – with the Magpies making a £3m loss on the striker in just two years.
Joselu's stats in 2023/24
In quite a remarkable turn of events, the striker who flopped with the Magpies joined European giants Real Madrid on loan last summer, with the now 33-year-old having the season of his career so far.
He's mainly been used as an impact player, but the Spaniard has managed to notch up 13 goals in his 38 appearances this season – including three in the Champions League.
His goal tally is higher than that of current Newcastle forward Anthon Gordon, with the £45m talent and newly called-up England winger only managing to score ten goals in all competitions so far during the 2023/24 campaign.
Although often featuring in different positions this season, Joselu comes out on top when comparing his stats per 90 against Gordon.
The 33-year-old averages 0.7 goals per game, with the Englishman trailing the striker with his tally of 0.4, nearly half the total of the former Magpie.
Given the fact Gordon is a winger and Joselu is a striker, the previous figure is to be expected. However, there's one figure that comes as a surprise given Gordon's direct dribbling ability.
In the league this season, the former Everton man averages a 45% successful take-on rate, which is surprisingly 5% lower than the current Real Madrid striker's tally of 50%.
On top of this, Joselu averages 1.3 more shots per game, with his tally of three per game nearly double that of the 23-year-old who only averages 1.7 in the Premier League.
Although he didn't succeed during his time on Tyneside, it's great to see the striker thriving in La Liga and the Champions League with the Magpies potentially living to regret his departure back in 2019.